Tag Archives: Powder Puff Tree

Foster Botanical Garden

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A Kapok tree, planted by Dr. Hillebrand and native to tropical America.

When I was in Honolulu, in December, I had a few hours to kill and decided to visit Foster Botanical Garden, which is not far from the downtown area. It’s one of five gardens that make up the Honolulu Botanical Gardens.

The garden dates back to 1853 when it was started by William Hillebrand, a German physician and botanist. It was sold in 1884 to Thomas and Mary Foster who continued to develop the garden. When Mary Foster died in 1930 she left the garden and her house to the city of Honolulu on the condition that the garden be maintained as a public park.

A Quipo Tree.
Rainbow Eucalyptus.
A bee on a Scarlet Powder-puff flower.

The garden is best known for its trees, some of which were planted by Dr. Hillebrand, and includes 21 trees designated ‘exceptional’ by City Ordinance. Despite it being a rather dreary day, walking through the trees and checking out the other plantings was well worth the visit.

Garden greenery.
A Silk Tree trunk.
A Wild Mussaenda flower with conspicuous bracts.

More information about Foster Botanical Garden here. Posted for Terri’s Flower Hour. See more responses here.

Here’s where my garden grows

A gecko on a wax ginger at Hawaii Tropical Bioreserve and Garden
A small Gold Dust Day Gecko climbs over a Wax Ginger. The small yellow parts are the flowers and the red mass is bracts.

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Plant Life.’ See more responses here.

Here are a few plants seen on my last visit to Hawai’i Tropical Bioreserve & Garden. For more information about Hawai’i Tropical Bioreserve & Garden, go to htbg.com.

A Heliconia Longissima Red Wings at Hawaii Tropical Bioreserve and Garden
Big leaves on Heliconia Longissima Red Wings
Towering trees at Hawaii Tropical Bioreserve and Garden
Towering trees reach for the sky.
An Anthurium cupulispathum at Hawaii Tropical Bioreserve and Garden
The giant leaves and long spadex of an Anthurium Cupulispathum.
Selaginella Umbrosa ferns at Hawaii Tropical Bioreserve and Garden
A mass of Selaginella Umbrosa ferns.
A powderpuff flower at Hawaii Tropical Bioreserve and Garden
A Powderpuff flower growing from a mossy trunk.
A red ginger at Hawaii Tropical Bioreserve and Garden
The syrupy look of a red ginger.
Foliage surrounds stairs at Hawaii Tropical Bioreserve and Garden
A variety of tropical foliage borders a staircase at the garden.
Foliage reflected in the lake at at Hawaii Tropical Bioreserve and Garden
There are plants on land and reflected in the water.

Powder puff tree

A Powder Puff Tree flower being visited by geckos
A Powder Puff Tree bud and spent flower

This tree was labeled Powder Puff Tree, Brownea Sp. at Hawai’i Tropical Bioreserve & Garden. I suspect the Powder Puff name is given to a variety of plants with flowers like this one, so I’m not sure if this is really the correct name.

I do know a couple of things about this tree. The flowers were a brilliant orange and very popular with the gold dust day geckos. They grow directly out of the trunk of the tree, starting as a pinkish bud and eventually dying out to a withered, brown remnant.

For more information about Hawai’i Tropical Bioreserve & Garden, go to htbg.com.

Posted in response to Becky’s July Squares challenge theme of ‘Trees.’ See more responses here.